Sea lamprey control planned for St. Marys River in July

Sunday

Jun 23, 2013 at 12:00 PM

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada personnel will soon apply lampricides to sections of the St. Marys River to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the stream bottom.

Applications will be conducted on or about July 1 through August 31, 2013 in accordance with State of Michigan permits. Application dates are tentative and may be changed based upon local weather or stream conditions near the time of treatment.

Sea lamprey larvae live in certain Great Lakes tributaries and transform to parasitic adults that migrate to the Great Lakes and kill fish. Failure to kill the larvae in streams would result in significant damage to the Great Lakes fishery. Infested tributaries must be treated every three to five years with lampricides (Lampricid and Bayluscide) to control sea lamprey populations.

As with any pesticide, the public is advised to use discretion and minimize unnecessary exposure.

Lampricides are carefully metered into the stream for approximately 12 hours, and continually analyzed at predetermined sites to assure that proper concentrations are maintained as the lampricides are carried downstream.

The program is contracted through the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

For additional information in the U.S. call 1-800-472-9212 and in Canada call 1-800-553-9091.